Archive for the ‘Ecclesiasticus 31’ Tag

You will not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but will love you neighbour as yourself. I am Yahweh.

–Leviticus 19:18, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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Do to no one what you would not want done to you.

–Tobit 4:15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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Judge your fellow-guest’s needs by your own,

be thoughtful in every way.

–Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 31:15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets.

–Matthew 7:12, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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Treat others as you would like people to treat you.

–Luke 6:31, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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After all, brothers, you were called to be free; do not abuse your freedom as an opening for self-indulgence, but be servants to one another in love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in the one commandment: You must love your neighbour as yourself. If you go on snapping at one another and tearing one another to pieces, you will be eaten up by one another.

–Galatians 5:13-15, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

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Once upon a time I cared deeply about having and winning arguments, whether they were by electronic or personal means. I sought to have the last word and to convince the other person or people of the superiority of my logic, intellect, and morality. I was, of course, obnoxious, arrogant, and presumptuous, among other adjectives.

Now I seldom argue with anyone. Silence implies not consent but the fact that I consider an argument to be unnecessary and possibly unwise, or at least not productive. Really, will two or more people shouting at each other change the minds of anyone participating in the shouting match? This scenario is far removed from an intellectual discourse. Furthermore, I do not enjoy having to endure someone shouting at me and possibly insulting my intelligence and/or morality, so I choose to obey the Golden Rule by notdoing unto the other person as he or she is doing unto me.

Usually such an unpleasant event starts without me saying anything. On the rare occasion that I something I say triggers the shouted monologue, I have not sought to offend anyone. Only once (as far as I recall) has my question,

Did I say anything?,

halted the monologue. Anyhow, I, heeding the advice in Galatians 5, refuse to shout in return most of the time. I am a flawed human being, after all, so my track record is imperfect. I do, however, know what I ought to do and seek to act accordingly. My purpose is not to be right; it is to be correct. My purpose is not to be right; it is to avoid being arrogant, presumptuous, and obnoxious, among other adjectives.

That is a worthy goal, one for which I depend on grace for any degree of success. The ability to control one’s temper–to refrain from striking out physically and/or verbally, and to avoid doing anything else one will have cause to regret later–is a learned skill. I recognize that I have an obligation to exercise my responsibility with regard to how I act in these situations. I choose not to pour gasoline on a proverbial fire. Nevertheless, I know that not responding in kind frequently angers the other person and makes the situation worse in the short term. If I were to argue in return, however, that course of action would have the same result in the short term and make matters worse in the medium term, at least. And, if I were to pretend to agree with a proposition I oppose, I would be a liar. C’est la vie. Sometimes the fire must burn out on its own.

The tongue, James 3:6 reminds us, is a flame. One can extend that teaching to pens, pencils, Twitter posts, Facebook memes, remarks in the comments sections of websites, et cetera. Much of the time remaining silent, not sharing a meme, or not posting a comment is the better course of action. Not giving into one’s anger and acting badly is preferable to ignoring the Golden Rule.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 22, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF ADVENT

THE FEAST OF FREDERICK AND WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY

THE FEAST OF SAINTS CHAEREMON AND ISCHYRION, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS

THE FEAST OF HENRY BUDD, FIRST ANGLICAN NATIVE PRIEST IN NORTH AMERICA; MISSIONARY TO THE CREE NATION